Lahore, April 22, 2026: Karachi Kings posted a competitive total of 182-9, but it was Peshawar Zalmi pacer Ali Raza who stole the spotlight with a stunning hat-trick in their Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 11 encounter at Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.
Opting to bat first, Karachi Kings made a steady start with openers David Warner and Jason Roy laying the foundation. The pair added 35 runs before Ali Raza struck early, dismissing Warner for 11 with a delivery that rattled the stumps.
Roy then took charge of the innings, combining with Salman Ali Agha to keep the scoreboard ticking. However, Aaron Hardie removed Salman for 12, leaving Karachi at 71-2.
The English opener continued his fluent strokeplay, bringing up his ninth PSL half-century and anchoring the innings. He found brief support from Reeza Hendricks, who scored 13 before falling to Sufiyan Muqeem.
The momentum shifted again when Azam Khan joined Roy, with the duo adding a quickfire 63-run partnership. Azam played an aggressive cameo of 35 off 19 balls, striking three fours and three sixes before being dismissed by Iftikhar Ahmed in the 18th over.
Roy’s impressive knock of 85 off 51 balls, featuring 11 fours and two sixes, ended shortly after when he was dismissed by Mohammad Basit, halting Karachi’s late surge.
The final over, however, belonged entirely to Ali Raza. The young pacer delivered a sensational spell, first contributing to a run-out of Abbas Afridi before Khushdil Shah was dismissed hit-wicket on the very next ball.
Raza then produced a pinpoint yorker to remove Shahid Aziz, and completed a remarkable hat-trick by dismissing Hasan Ali for a first-ball duck on the final delivery of the innings.
His late burst ensured Karachi Kings were restricted to 182-9, despite a strong platform built earlier in the innings, setting up an intriguing chase in the PSL 11 contest.
